NT2 writing prize won by former student and former TopTaal employee

We are so proud of this lady. After many congratulations. And we asked her a beautiful bunch of flowers remotely why she participated in this writing prize. And it turns out she has a passion for writing. The jury called her a true poet. read here the complete jury report.

Interview Valeria

Why did you participate in the NT2 writing prize? I participated in the NT2 writing prize because I have always had a passion for writing. Also because I think it's a great way for us newcomers to be a part of this place.

I have been writing in Italian since childhood. And when I got here, I was looking forward to writing in Dutch too. Italian and Dutch are two very different languages: in one we use very long and complicated sentences, in the other the words are more often put in dots. The middle ground is what I am looking for!

What do you think of the theme? What is yet to come. I really liked the theme of this year's writing award (To come ...) and it helped me a lot to start writing. It was difficult to “ease” my writing style, so I asked my Dutch friends to read it and give an opinion. Willemijn, my former TopTaal teacher, encouraged me enormously.

Why did you work at TopTaal? Since arriving in the Netherlands I have attended creative reading and writing clubs; moreover, I am always looking for jobs where I can use living language, but also keep in touch with people who come from other countries, like me. Working at TopTaal was an incentive for that, it opened the doors of Amsterdam for me through the language.

What do you want to achieve? I would like to write books translated in both countries in Italian and Dutch: this is what I strive for!

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Curious about the winning lyrics of Valeria? Watch the video below in which her text is read.